KIPS BAY DS

Paloma Contreras Transforms a Study for Kips Bay NYC 2019

May 7, 2019
BY Kristine Hope Kowalski

Houston, Texas-based interior designer Paloma Contreras transformed a spare bedroom at the 2019 Kips Bay Decorator Show House into a personal study fit for the well-read lady of the house. The luxurious and colorful retreat brightened up the Manhattan building.

The House Tipster Industry team was able to speak exclusively with the designer during the charity show house’s unveiling in New York City’s Upper East Side, where she explained how her latest creation – this special space called “Spring Awakening” – all came to be.

Paloma Contreras. Photography by House Tipster

“My room at this year’s Kips Bay Show House is a study with tall bay windows and original millwork on the same level as the master bedroom,” the designer shared in her show notes.

“I envision the lady of the house using this space as her personal study, so it is feminine and glamorous featuring high gloss millwork, stunning wallpaper panels by deGournay, and silk moire draperies in a vibrant shade of green inspired by the extraordinary color combinations in the most recent Valentino Haute Couture shows,” Contreras added.

Throughout the room, you will see breathtakingly beautiful green silk draperies and lively florals, which are all reminiscent of the earliest days of spring.

These colors and plant accessories come directly from the striking wall art that was chosen for this space.

“For the color palette in the room, the inspiration was really these hand-painted panels by deGournay, it’s their Japanese garden design,” Contreras told House Tipster Industry. “We did some custom coloring to the design, and then used the different greens and blue hues throughout the design in the rest of the room.”

“The room is a study in color used in a very mindful way and showcases my signature ‘modern-meets-traditional’ style through the use of furnishings from various periods and in different style,” the designer added.

“It was really meant to be a fresh take on classic, traditional style,” Contreras told us. “It was meant to be an interpretation of something that could have been here many years ago, since we know that the house is rather old, and could endure decades into the future. We wanted it to feel really timeless.”

Photography by House Tipster

To make this room such a standout success, Contreras worked with top brands like Schumacher, Benjamin Moore, Patterson Flynn Martin, Gerald Bland, KRB, The Shade Store, Elizabeth Pash Antiques & Decoration, Liz O’Brien, BK Antiques, Paloma & Co, Innovate New York, and more to outfit her space.

To hear all about Paloma Contreras’ space at the 2019 Kips Bay Decorator Show House NYC, allow the designer to talk you through her process in our live video stream in the Facebook player below.

﻿

Guests will be able to attend the 47th Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House, located at 36-38 East 74th Street, New York, NY, now through May 30, 2019. Stay tuned for even more videos and interviews from House Tipster Industry’s exclusive coverage of the show!